This past Saturday BUGS had their big video opening at The Creative Alliance. We showed our cooking videos at the Food Network event. It was so nice to share this event with our wonderful students, and have their proud parents along as well.

Reminder: This Saturday "The BUGS Kitchen" will make its world premiere at the Creative Alliance. The videos will be screened continuously between 5:30 and 7:30 PM. There will be a very special Q & A with the BUGS film makers and actors at 7 PM in the main gallery. This event is free, so come on out! We will see you there.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Question: What is hotter than the summer of 2010, made by BUGS students and will make you very hungry? The BUGS Kitchen Cooking Shows! BUGS teamed up with Wide Angle Youth Media (www.wideanglemedia.org) to create four amazing cooking videos. David Sloan and his youth assistant, Doug, from Wide Angle taught BUGS students all about film production, camera angles, sound and script. Then, we all got to work both in front of and behind the camera. The vibe was serious but fun, and the finished product looks amazing! Don't take my word for it, see for yourself.

You can now watch the first two videos on Vimeo starring Aijha Pack and Ranoah Johnson (pictured above) and Miyah Montgomery (below). You'll laugh, you'll laugh some more, then you'll be so hungry you'll run to the store! Check out the Pickles video here: http://www.vimeo.com/14775554 , and then watch the Hot Sauce video here: http://www.vimeo.com/14776103

BUGS will be premiering all four videos at the Creative Alliance on Saturday, September 18th, 2010, from 5:30 - 7:30 PM (free) as part of their new art installment, "Food Network." We will be selling DVD's of the videos as well as answering all of your filming and cooking questions. There will be awesome art, free food and a chance to meet the stars of The BUGS Kitchen. We'll see you there!

And don't forget to tune in next week for, Pesto, a silent film, and Peach Salsa, a mystery.

Monday, August 30, 2010

After reading the charming book Aunt Flossie's Hats, we made some hats of our own. It was great fun figuring out the construction, and finding our own look when decorating. We loved rockin' our new hat style in these fun pics, enjoy!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

The 2nd week of the Second Summer Session was just completed with more stilt walking. This group of students, though a bit more nervous, still accepted the challenge of stilt walking with courage and tenacity.

Aaron Duckett practices without Ms. Annie. He was the Student of the Week. It took him the 3 days to accomplish stilt walking without a spotter. WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU, AARON!!!

Taylor Bennett making it away from the railing.

Angel made it look so easy! She must have taken her first steps on stilts. LOL!!!Aaron is getting closer to stilt walking without hands.Not one to be left out, De'Eric keeps the stilt walking easy and breezy.

Love that hat, De'Eric!Aaron made it from the railing to the table. That's not a short distance!! Ms. Annie helps him sit.

Ms. Annie tightens Aaron's stilts.Ms. Valeska, Ms. Jodie and Ms. Annie in the Certificate ceremony.Angel receiving her certificate and walking on much taller stilts.Aaron made it from the railing to Ms. Annie all on his own!Taylor grabs that certificate and quickly makes it back to the railing.De'Eric, once again, making it look so natural.Ranoah got her certificate after much encouragement and overcoming her fear of falling. She made it over to Ms. Annie.Ms. Niko, Nana Projects Intern, has gotten comfortable very quickly on the stilts. Would you believe it was her very FIRST TIME on the stilts.

Friday, August 6, 2010

As the 2nd Summer Session of the BUGS Summer Program began, our students had the opportunity to learn stilt walking from Nana Projects, a local company of stilt walkers who teach and perform around the city. Annie Howe, along with Ms. Valeska, Ms. Kisling and Ms. Niko, came to the Living Classrooms campus to teach our students about stilt walking.

(Ms. Annie helps Jerrel Mack get comfortable on the stilts.)

On the 1st day, Ms. Annie and her fellow teachers taught the students how to fall. There is a correct way for stilters to fall. If you find that you'll begin to fall, it is best to fall forward, bending and landing on your knees and breaking the end of the fall with your hands. While the students were practicing on the field, it began to rain and the remainder of the session happened in the Great Room.

(Keshaun Watkins walking with only one hand with Ms. Annie.)

Once the stilts were placed on the students, each one of the teachers would be a spotter - someone who would help the student get comfortable walking on the stilts. Practicing in the Great Room was so beneficial for the students. There were pillars that they could walk to.This gave them a real and tangible distance for them to find attainable. They walked from pillar to pillar to the chairs or scaled along the wall to get comfortable. By the end of the 1st day, some of the boys were walking on their own.

(Ms. Annie ties stilts onto KeShaun.)

(Daquan making it look easy.)

On the 2nd day, we all ventured outside. The stilts were tied on. The boys with a spotter walked to the railing. They had a longer distance and a wider space to walk in the stilts. After some coaxing and ease, they began to venture around on the ground. They fell, got back up, fell again and got back up. They tried and reached their goal.(Jailen Johnson scaling the rail.)

It was the final day of stilt walking with the boys. Ms. Annie was able to bring hats and sequenced vests for us to wear. We had a marching parade around the field and on the walkway. We were like avatars with our long legs prancing about.

On the last day, we wore our hats and vests and took a group picture. Ms. Annie and her crew gave each one of the boys a Certificate of Completion. The certificate stated that each of them were officially stilt walkers. What a great experience for them!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Friday, July 23, 2010

As the last week of the Summer Session comes to an end, the Older Girls group experienced bikram yoga and step aerobics. They were very honest and expressed how hard yoga was. They exclaimed how hot it was in the room and the difficulty in doing some of the poses. And yet, they tried each one of the poses.Step aerobics was on Wednesday. This they enjoyed. It had great music., an energetic teacher and a mirror to see themselves move. They all thought of it as danced. They sweated, drank water, toweled off and got right back into the groover. They clapped. They kicked. They had fun!With the last group experiencing a "Summer of Fitness Through Movement," it's time to move on to session two with stilt walking. Let's see what that brings!!

What is BUGS?

The Baltimore Urban Gardening with Students (BUGS) Program of Living Classrooms Foundation works with children from under-served Baltimore City communities throughout the year with an after-school program as well as a summer program. The program's primary goal is to empower and inspire our children to develop academically, creatively, and socially.

The BUGS program serves 60 students from the Butchers Hill/Patterson Park/Fells Point community. Many of our students reside in public housing and low-income neighborhoods. These students have little access to green space and few extra-curricular activities available to them. The program engages youth in learning while providing them with a safe and healthy alternative to the streets.

BUGS is a national model program that uses activities such as cooking, gardening, creative arts and movement, and entrepreneurial projects to help increase academic performance in reading and math and improve student behavior. The program provides a dynamic learning environment at the Living Classrooms East Harbor campus, with access to vegetable and flower gardens planted by the students, and the only wetlands on Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Our 1:10 instructor/student ratio provides youth with the close attention they need to succeed socially and academically.

Contributors

BUGS Staff

Michelle Koehler, Consultant.

Michelle came to Living Classrooms in 1996 and worked on our farm, shipboard, and outreach programs.She was also the After School Program Coordinator, Renaissance Summer Program Director, and Program Manager of the Land-based Department.Michelle graduated from Towson University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History.

Outside of work, Michelle enjoys spending time with her husband and two children.She also has a passion for traveling.She has been all over Europe, Central America, South America, and Mexico and has plans to continue her travels.

Algernon Campbell, Program Director.Mr. Algernon is originally from Savannah, GA. He is a graduate of Morehouse College with a B.A in Theatre and Drama as well as a graduate of the Certificate of Dance Program from the Ailey School. He has danced with the Dallas Black Dance Theatre for 4 seasons and for other renowned choreographers. He has danced nationally and internationally in such countries as Japan, Austria, and Zimbabwe. He has lived in many cities and now resides in Baltimore County. He is a professional dancer, teacher, and choreographer at the Morton Street Dance Center and Greater York Center for Dance Education.

Tyone Pompey, Creative Movement and Dance.

I Just Want To Dance! As a young boy growing up on Baltimore’s Westside I realized early on my passion for the Arts, particularly dance. Growing up as a resident in the inner city there were not many positive outlets for a young man like myself, but I managed to find one at Cahill Performing Arts Recreation Center. This center helped to lay the foundation and growth of this craft for me, in such a magnificent way that I want to be able to do the same for other youth and have been doing so since the age of 17. I’ve been a member of various dance troupes and performed in numerous competitions both local and out of state. Even though I am a recent graduate of Towson University, majoring in Electronic Media and Film, I am still holding true to my love of the arts teaching all who would like to learn the gift of dance.

Martin Zang, Cooking and Nutrition.Martin Zang is originally from Manchester, Michigan, a small town that barely could be seen on a map. He has recently graduated from Eastern Michigan University where he studied History and Political Science. Martin has always had a passion for cooking and healthy eating instilled in him by his Parents. He has worked in numerous restaurants in as many positions; this gave him the opportunity to learn more about food then just how to eat it. In his free time Martin likes to teach himself new recipes, have cookouts with friends, grow his own food, and do a little wood working.

Valerie Koury, STEM.I grew up in Osceola, Arkansas and moved to Maryland 11 years ago. I went to UMBC and majored in Psychology. I used to be a cheerleader for my high school and university. I enjoy reading, watching TV, baking, and being crafty. I am a big Orioles and Ravens fan (lets go Os!). Working with children and being a teacher has been my dream since I was 4 years old, so I am excited to be here! I teach STEM and I hope to do a lot of fun experiments this year.

Jason Reed, Gardening and the Environment.

Jason Reed has worked as a garden educator in Baltimore City for the past 5 years. Before that, he lived in Baltimore City as a music student at Peabody conservatory, and toured the country as a performing musician. He is also Director of the Filbert Street Garden, a one-acre outdoor community education space in South Baltimore.

Jason has given workshops and facilitated discussions for the Master Gardeners, Parks and People Foundation, Child First Authority, Towson University, UMBC and more. He is a founding member of the Mid-Atlantic Farm-Based Educators Network. In his own garden, Jason loves growing native herbal plants and perennial fruit bushes, and just hanging out with his chickens.

Kadija Ndiaye, Creative Art.

Kadija graduated from Morgan State University with a degree in Family and Consumer Sciences, her favorite classes were Art, Sewing and Urban Housing and Development.

Kadija has always been passionate about arts and crafts; during her junior year of college she shared her passions as an aftercare teacher at the Green School of Baltimore. During summer vacation you can find Kadija at Baltimore city libraries teaching arts and craft classes. During her free time she enjoys thrifting and DIY projects.